NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — The DeConcini Port of Entry is the only one of Nogales' three crossings designated to handle the paperwork for asylum seekers requesting entry to the U.S. now that Title 42 has been lifted.
Here in Nogales today, we are not seeing any sort of obvious group releases. Most of the activity is heavy traffic headed into Mexico, typical for a Friday.
While covering the impending end of Title 42 at the port yesterday, we did see some groups boarding buses for shelters, most likely headed to Casa Alitas in Tucson:
Title 42 had not again lifted at that time. CBP told us we were seeing people allowed to enter under Title 42—and that they probably had appointments set up well in advance.
Communication with government officials has been sparse, so we have no explanation for why Nogales seems to be quieter than other locations.
One challenge as an observer here: The design of the DeConcini Port.
Some locations have spots where you can see migrants lining up. This port is built in a way where it’s hard to get a good look at what’s going on inside.
The most conspicuous thing at the DeConcini Port of Entry today is long lines of cars headed out of the U.S.—more or less business as usual before the weekend.
We met Maria and Carlos Cardenas coming out of a smaller pedestrian-only gate. They say they saw nothing unusual on the US or Mexico sides of the border:
Craig Smith: “What do you think of all the anxiety and anticipation there’s been surrounding the whole Title 42 thing?
Maria Cardenas: "I think that it’s real if that’s what you’re asking, but not so much at this border or the smaller borders I don’t think [they] have a problem.”
Nogales residents say they are pleased the end of Title 42 has not brought the heavy disruption that had been feared.
If anyone was expecting a wave of people—we are not seeing anything like that. We have not seen large groups coming out of the port and have mostly seen business as usual.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
